Notebook: ‘There’s always pressure any time you don’t make the playoffs’

'I’m always on the hot seat,' Martin Rennie said Tuesday, as the club returned to training in the wake of Saturday’s 3-2 loss in Colorado, a setback that eliminated the Caps from the MLS playoff chase.

Photograph by: Gerry Kahrmann Gerry Kahrmann
, PNG

VANCOUVER — The fog that shrouded the Vancouver Whitecaps practice field at UBC on Tuesday was timely. It mirrored the murky uncertainty surrounding head coach Martin Rennie as he prepares the club for Sunday’s MLS regular-season finale.

Debate is raging on soccer blogs and fan sites about whether the young Scotsman, whose tactics and player deployment have been second-guessed all season, should be replaced or whether he should get at least a third season to guide a team that improved in 2013, but failed to make the playoffs in the highly competitive Western Conference.

General manager Bob Lenarduzzi has said Rennie will be evaluated as closely at the end of the season as every other aspect of the club.

Rumours persist that the ownership group – Greg Kerfoot, Jeff Mallet, Steve Nash and Steve Luczo – are split on whether to retain Rennie, who has a year remaining on his contract.

“I’m always on the hot seat,” a grinning Rennie said Tuesday as the club returned to training in the wake of Saturday’s 3-2 loss in Colorado, a defeat that finally knocked the Caps (12-12-9) out of the playoff chase.

“Generally, I think there’s always pressure any time you don’t make the playoffs. People always look at that as a milestone, but if (it happened for) every coach that didn’t make the playoffs, then it would be nine coaches (facing firing) every year, so that’s not really realistic.

“What you have to look at: Is the club going forward? Is it getting better? Is it getting stronger? Is there growth? Is there young players coming through? Yeah, all those things are positive.”

The problem for Rennie is that he can’t escape the negatives, most notably a poor stretch run – 2-5-3 since mid-August, including 0-2-2 at home – for the second consecutive season. The Caps backed into the playoffs in Rennie’s inaugural season after winning just one of their final 10 games.

It’s also questionable as to whether Rennie got total buy-in from his veteran players as he fiddled with different systems and lineups.

And, did he wait too long in playing 18-year-old sensation Kekuta Manneh – four goals in his last two games – at striker? Why did midfielder Gershon Koffie not develop into the force Rennie thought he could become? And why couldn’t Rennie and his assistants get through to Darren Mattocks, the enigmatic Jamaican?

And, does Lenarduzzi have to share some blame for failing to address the obvious need for a creative midfielder capable of driving the attack and for not acquiring some capable fullback depth.

Rennie says he talked with management throughout the season about his work.

“Generally, the feedback has been positive. But we’ve always said (that) at the end of the season, we’ll sit down and both parties will look at what’s going well, what needs to be done better, what would we change if we wanted to change things and then decide the way forward then.”

The one thing ownership will have to weigh is the optics and effect of another relatively quick coaching change after Teitur Thordarson was fired just 12 games into the club’s first MLS season in 2011 and replaced by director of soccer operations Tom Soehn, who was gone at the end of the season to clear the way for Rennie.

Toronto FC has had eight head coaches in seven seasons, has never made the playoffs and has a woeful all-time record of 50-105-66.

But is Rennie the man to take the club to the next level? When he was hired Lenarduzzi talked about the value of growing with a young coach. But if the coaching growth isn’t sufficient, do the Caps turn to a more experienced MLS coach?

“It’s been a really steep learning curve,” Rennie admitted. “This is a unique league. I’ve learned a lot about how the club works and what the club wants. And sometimes when it doesn’t go as easily and as smoothly as you’d like, you learn more. It’s painful and disappointing when you lose, but part of MLS is that even if you’re having a great season, you’re going to lose 10 or 12 games.”

Rennie said he believes the club can soon be at the point that it can challenge for an MLS Cup and he wants to see it through. He noted again that some big expiring contracts will give the Caps the salary cap room to add the two or three key pieces next season to a young core group.

“I do honestly believe we’re close. And if I didn’t, then I would want to (come back).”

The England-born, Calgary-raised Adekugbe said he’s anxiously looking forward to his first MLS game and to show how much he’s picked up by practising fully with the club for the last couple of months.

“I just want to prove myself as a player. Definitely excited. Hopefully, I can join the attack like Jordan Harvey. He’s been giving me some feedback on what to expect, what to do. We were working together on the crossing and finishing earlier in practice. Hopefully, I can bring both aspects to the field.”

SETTING SUN: Veteran fullback Y.P. Lee nearly teared up Tuesday when he was asked about Sunday being the final game of his illustrious 13-year pro career.

“It is the most memorable game in my life,” said the 36-year-old, who played in three World Cups for South Korea and had successful stints with Dutch club PSV Eindhoven, Tottenham of the English Premier League and German Bundesliga side Borrussia Dortmund.

“I have been playing soccer for last 28 years, so I thought it would be time to stop. I’m so happy because when I came here two years ago, I never expected to finish my career like this. I’m so happy with a great team and great people.”

Lee said he and his family will remain in Vancouver for at least a couple of years while he completes some schooling at UBC and takes advantage of the Caps’ offer to learn about team administration.

'I’m always on the hot seat,' Martin Rennie said Tuesday, as the club returned to training in the wake of Saturday’s 3-2 loss in Colorado, a setback that eliminated the Caps from the MLS playoff chase.

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